Dartmouth-Hitchcock Culinary Medicine Program

Imagine food as medicine

Culinary medicine is an emerging field that incorporates current research on healthful foods, nutrition, and cooking into the practice of medicine, in order to promote health and wellness and to assist with the prevention and treatment of chronic health conditions.

The Dartmouth-Hitchcock Culinary Medicine Program, an initiative within the Department of Medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, aims to promote health and wellness through food. The Culinary Medicine Program brings together clinical, academic and community nutrition and culinary initiatives to create a cohesive vision for the future of food as medicine. The Culinary Medicine Program team includes chefs, physicians, clinical staff and dietitians. By offering nutrition and culinary programs to medical staff, patients, and community members, the program aims to provide innovative approaches to improving health while establishing an evidence base for culinary programs both regionally and nationally.

Contact Information
For more information on the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Culinary Medicine Program contact:

Our programs

EatSmarter Culinary
As part of the Healthy Lifestyles Program, EatSmarter Culinary classes for patients cover culinary skills, practical nutrition principles, and the link between diet choices and chronic disease.

Cook, Eat, Learn: Skills to Promote Healthy Lifestyle Partnerships with PatientsA yearlong curriculum that provides health care providers and staff with the nutrition and culinary skills needed both to model healthy eating habits and to guide patients in improving diet choices to prevent and manage chronic disease. The program includes a healthful and delicious breakfast, cooking demonstration and recipes, and nutrition and lifestyle education as a part of Grand Rounds.

Culinary Medicine Classes
A range of hands-on culinary medicine classes will be offered in 2016 and onward to health care providers and staff, patients, families, and community members.

Our research

Research is integrated into the culinary educational programs to measure changes in knowledge, attitudes and behaviors related to nutrition and culinary skills, as well as changes in health outcomes. Results from our studies will be used to guide the development of an evidence-based culinary medicine practice.